Caprese salad coffee house composition sauce. The perfect Caprese salad

The recipe for caprese salad with aromatic sauce is very simple. There is no need to fry anything, bake, marinate or leave the salad for several hours in the refrigerator. There aren't even any exotic ingredients here. Everything is very simple, but at the same time there are small nuances in preparing caprese that should be mentioned.

For a salad where the main ingredients are tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, there is one rule - everything must be fresh! Tomatoes and basil are ideal from the garden. Mozzarella cheese can be taken either in one large ball or in small ones. This will not affect the taste, except perhaps the way the tomatoes are cut.

The variety of tomatoes can also be debated for a long time. Some recommend “bull’s heart” - a sweet, pink and fleshy tomato. Others generally make caprese in a deep bowl with cherry tomatoes. I recommend taking a sweet, elastic and fleshy tomato without a white center.

Basil is only green. It should be fresh, the leaves are bright, juicy and aromatic. The size of the basil does not affect the taste, except that the appearance of the salad with too large leaves will suffer slightly. It is recommended to take olive oil first cold pressed. For caprese salad, use the best olive oil.

To prepare a caprese salad, you just need to chop the tomatoes, mozzarella and top it all with basil leaves.

So, armed with a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes into circles 5-7 mm thick. The only disadvantage of this cutting is that not all the tomato will go into the salad. The bottom and top will only spoil the whole picture, so adding them to the salad is not recommended. Only fleshy identical circles.

Cut the mozzarella ball into slices identical in thickness to tomatoes. If the cheese was in brine, then remove it from the liquid and let it drain.

Wash the basil and shake off droplets of water from the leaves.

Most often, caprese salad is served on white plates and for good reason - it is on them that the salad will look best.

Place slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in a circle on a plate, and place basil leaves between them. Alternate these ingredients until the circle of them closes.
Sprinkle just a little black pepper. But there is no need to add salt. We will serve the salad with a flavorful sauce that contains salt.

For the sauce, you need to do the following: place basil leaves, mustard, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a clove of garlic and olive oil in a blender bowl.

By pulsing the blender, turn its contents into a slurry, a kind of thick sauce. Try it, maybe there is not enough salt? Or lemon juice? Adjust green sauce to taste.

The incredibly aromatic, delicious-tasting green Italian sauce under the mysterious name “Pesto” is familiar to many. It is often served with the Caprese appetizer, poured over pasta, spaghetti, and hot vegetables. This dressing mixture is made from the usual ingredients: the composition includes basil, fresh olive oil, Parmesan cheese or any similar variety, nuts, garlic, and seasonings. Preparing Pesto sauce is quite simple - literally in 10–15 minutes.

The recipe for this delicious, spicy, unusually aromatic dish is not at all complicated. You just need to prepare the ingredients, a sharp knife, a board, a pestle, and a mortar to grind the nuts. If you wish, you can do this in a blender, but then the taste will not be so subtle and rich. Any salad will sparkle with new colors when you add a homemade, rather than store-bought, delicate Italian sauce.

There are a lot of recipes using basil, garlic, nuts, cheese, and olive oil. Let's look at the most popular options to know exactly how real Pesto sauce is prepared. Salads seasoned with it will allow you to appreciate all the shades of taste of crushed spices, herbs and additives.

Recipe for traditional Italian sauce with Parmesan

The traditional Pesto sauce, which Italians usually add to Caprese salad, is prepared quickly. Pine nuts are not crushed, but ground with a pestle. Finely chop the garlic with a knife; do not use a blender or crush. It is these simple manipulations that give the dressing an unusually persistent aroma and spicy taste.

Ingredients:

• 3 quarters cups of fresh olive oil;
• half a glass of peeled pine nuts;
• a large bunch of basil leaves;
• 3 small cloves of garlic;
• 50 grams of delicate Italian Parmesan cheese.

Preparation:

1. The garlic must be peeled and chopped very finely by hand.
2. Basil should be washed and dried.
3. The nuts, and then the cheese and herbs, need to be ground with a pestle in a mortar or a stable dish.
4. All ingredients must be mixed with olive oil until smooth.

Tips from Italian chefs:

1. If the sauce is prepared correctly, it can be stored in a closed jar on the refrigerator shelf for several days. However, for Caprese it is better to use fresh Pesto, just made.
2. If desired, the recipe can be slightly modified by replacing the pine nuts with walnuts, peanuts, pistachios or regular seeds. You can add dressing not only to Caprese salad. Any dish with tomatoes or cheese, even white bread goes well with its spicy taste.

Hot Italian Spinach Dip Recipe

The most delicious Pesto sauce is made not only with basil, but also with spinach. Salads with this dressing will please everyone without exception. The recipe is quite simple, even a beginner can do it. By preparing an appetizer like Caprese from tomatoes and soft, juicy cheese, you can enjoy the aroma, tenderness, and spiciness of the resulting dish.

Ingredients:

• a bunch of washed spinach;
• 1 large clove of garlic;
• 80 grams of any hard cheese;
• half a glass of light olive oil;
• half a glass of pine nuts;
• a pinch of salt, ground pepper.

Preparation:

1. The nuts must first be fried in a dry frying pan, then crushed.
2. The cheese can be grated on a fine grater; the garlic and spinach must be cut with a knife.
3. Now pour all the ingredients into a blender and grind into a homogeneous mixture. Pepper, salt, mix with butter.

Tips:

1. To make the salad tastier, the dressing and vegetables must be fresh.
2. To get a more flavorful sauce, add a little basil, cilantro or parsley to the spinach.

Spiced Pesto Recipe

Meat or fish salads to which such a spicy and thick Pesto sauce will be added will turn out spicy and tasty. Lovers of spices and aromatic herbs will appreciate them, praising the dishes and asking the hostess for the secret recipe for their creation. You can experiment each time by adding different nuts or herbs, changing the composition as desired. Even the usual Caprese salad will seem unusual and a little hot.

Ingredients:

• bunch of basil;
• half a glass of shelled pine or walnuts;
• half a lemon;
• a third of a glass of olive oil;
• freshly ground pepper;
• 100 grams of soft cheese;
• 2 tablespoons of water;
• 3 small cloves of garlic;
• parsley;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. The nuts must first be fried in a frying pan, then ground or crushed.
2. The cheese should be grated on a fine grater.
3. Basil, parsley and garlic should be chopped very finely.
4. The resulting mixture should be diluted with oil, water, add salt, pepper, and mix everything well.

1. Before smearing salads with this sauce, you need to let it brew a little and soak in for a more tart aroma.
2. There is no point in grinding the greens with a blender into porridge; it is better to simply chop them with a knife. Dried basil, dill or parsley are not used for cooking, only fresh ones.
3. This Pesto sauce can be added to both cold and hot salads, spread on toast, and served with meat dishes.

Recipe for sauce with parsley and nuts

Instead of green basil, you can use fresh juicy parsley, this will change the taste and aroma of the dressing slightly. It is good to add to summer vegetable salads instead of the usual mayonnaise and vegetable oil. This bright green Pesto sauce is prepared very quickly; it requires very little ingredients.

Ingredients:

• a glass of parsley chopped with a knife;
• half a glass of walnuts;
• half a glass of olive oil;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 50 grams of Mozzarella cheese;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. Place the walnuts, garlic and cheese in the bowl of a food processor and chop for a few seconds.
2. Then add chopped parsley to the mixture and mix everything.
3. All that remains is to dilute the ingredients with olive oil and add to the salad.

Tips from Italian chefs:

1. If the salads will not be prepared immediately, you can save the Pesto sauce for about 5 days. To do this, transfer it to a jar, pour a layer of olive oil on top, and place it in the refrigerator or freezer.
2. There is no need to grind the products for a long time; they should not turn into porridge. Let there be heterogeneous pieces, so any salad will turn out much tastier and more aromatic.

Recipe for aromatic Pesto with mint, cilantro and basil

Pesto sauce, made from various herbs, has an amazing taste and subtle spicy aroma that will please even the most spoiled gourmets. It can be added not only to salads, including Italian Caprese, but also to soups, appetizers, sandwiches or spaghetti. Any dish will sparkle with new notes, become appetizing and tasty. This dressing can even be served separately, allowing each guest to add it to their salad themselves.

Ingredients:

• a third of a glass of any nuts: cashews, pistachios, walnuts or peanuts of your choice;
• bunch of basil;
• several sprigs of mint;
• a couple of sprigs of cilantro or dill;
• black and red pepper powder;
• basil;
• garlic;
• a teaspoon of lemon juice;
• half a glass of olive oil;
• 100 grams of soft Gouda type cheese.

Preparation:

1. All greens and garlic should be finely chopped with a knife, without chopping too much.
2. The cheese must be grated through a fine grater; it is better to chop the nuts with a blender.
3. All ingredients should be mixed with pepper, salt, lemon juice, and add olive oil.

Helpful Tips:

1. It is recommended to add this aromatic sauce to fish salads, dishes with seafood, and vegetables.
2. Any greens and spices are suitable, including lettuce, broccoli and thyme with paprika.

Appetizer “Caprese” with sauce according to an Italian recipe

Aromatic and spicy Pesto goes best with tomatoes and soft cheese. That is why Italians most often add it to Caprese salad, enjoying the bright taste of a quick and delicate snack. Having prepared such a dish once, you want to make it again and again.

Ingredients:

• 3 tomatoes with dense pulp;
• 150 grams of Mozzarella cheese;
• several sprigs of herbs: basil, cilantro, parsley, mint or spinach to choose from;
• ready-made Pesto dressing.

Preparation:

1. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into even pieces.
2. Cut the cheese into equal slices.
3. Arrange the tomatoes and cheese on a plate in a circle, alternating them with each other.
4. Decorate the middle with sprigs of greenery.
5. Pour the sauce over the appetizer salad.

All these simple recipes for an unusually tasty and pleasant Pesto sauce can be easily prepared at home, having herbs, olive oil, nuts and cheese on hand. Family and guests will be surprised when they taste salads with a delicate but spicy Italian dressing.

Italian types of food are often used in other countries because they contain classic ingredients on the one hand, and on the other they have unusual tastes. Caprese salad in classic or improved versions is considered healthy food because it contains fresh and natural ingredients. It can be served as a main or side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Let's look at the Caprese salad recipe with photos step by step. How to prepare a dish correctly, what is best to put in it and what is the calorie content of such food?

How to cook Caprese salad: recipes with photos

Beginners and professional chefs can easily prepare this dish in a few minutes. The basic rule to follow is: buy only fresh products. Now there are many types of Caprese salads, they differ in the types of ingredients, serving methods and dressing sauces. The dish is served exclusively fresh; there is no need to infuse it or wait for it to soak.

The original version of Caprese in Italy uses “Oxheart” tomatoes. These vegetables are very large in size, have a sweetish taste and sandy flesh. But each cook can choose other types of tomatoes (watery varieties are not recommended, as the pulp may fall out of the core). Mozzarella cheese should be taken classic, without any additions, nuts, herbs or spices, since these components will go separately in the salad. Let's look at the most popular recipes for cooking at home.

Classic with Mozzarella and tomatoes

Italians serve a light Caprese salad before pasta. In this way, the body immediately receives a large amount of vitamins and prepares to receive heavier food. This dish is considered national Italian also because it contains the main colors of the flag - red and white. No matter how the salad changes, these shades must be present in it. Consider a classic version of the dish for cooking at home.

Ingredients for a classic dish:

• It is better to take fresh ripe red tomatoes of medium size - 5 pcs.
• White mozzarella cheese, fresh – 300 g.
• Classic balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp. spoon.
• Natural olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.
• Green leaves of fresh basil - about 50 g.
• Salt, black and allspice - according to taste preferences.

Cooking Caprese salad recipe with photos step by step:

1. Wash the tomatoes and basil under running water. Place in a colander or dry paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Cut the tomatoes into slices across the base. To do this, you should take a sharp knife so that when cutting vegetables, they are not crushed. The width of the tomato slices should be about 5-7 mm. If during the cutting process the core falls out of the vegetables, such a piece should be replaced and the width of the ring should be increased.
3. We cut mozzarella cheese into similar sizes and shapes. If a large piece was purchased at the store, then it should be divided and cut to form a cylinder. This is the most convenient way to cut slices of cheese.
4. Place cheese and tomatoes alternately on a large, shallow plate. Between the layers you need to put one basil leaf, separating it from the sprig.
5. Salt and pepper the resulting dish to taste.
6. Season with olive oil and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. We carry out the last operations so that the spices get on every piece of cheese and tomato. Bon appetit!

On skewers with pesto sauce

For convenience in preparing Caprese, advanced cooks use skewers. Such accessories allow you to make a small amount of food for each guest, which is convenient for buffets. Pesto adds a unique flavor to your salad because it contains basil, cheese, garlic, butter, pine nuts, or other unusual ingredients. Let's consider this dish step by step.

Ingredients for the pesto dish:

• Young cheese, mozzarella – 300 g.
• Cherry tomatoes or other varieties of small ripe vegetables - 300 g.
• Store-bought or homemade pesto sauce – 100 g.
• Green basil - optional.

How to prepare a light Italian salad on skewers with Pesto sauce:

1. Wash raw tomatoes and basil under cold water. There is no need to peel the roots from the vegetables first; this will be done while cutting the salad.
2. Prepare skewers, pesto sauce and a large shallow plate.
3. Cut ripe cherry tomatoes in half. If the vegetables are very small, then they are allowed to be strung whole.
4. Cut the mozzarella cheese into similar pieces, preferably round or square.
5. Thread tomatoes and mozzarella cheese alternately onto a skewer, inserting a green basil leaf between the ingredients.
6. Place all the skewers on a plate in one row and pour a generous amount of pesto sauce over them.
7. After this, the dish is ready to be served. Bon appetit!

Calorie content of the prepared dish

On average, for every 100 g of salad in the classic version there are about 160 Kcal, which is a small value and is suitable for dietary nutrition. Such a light and at the same time very tasty dish is recommended even for those people who are on strict diets, wanting to lose excess weight. If any components change in the composition, then the energy value will be different, but this value changes slightly. Here is a table with the calorie content of Caprese.

Caprese (Italian) is an Italian appetizer. Very light and tasty. Such snacks are commonly considered “antipasto”. I mean, not against pasta, but before pasta - an appetizer.

Tomatoes, mozzarella, green basil and the best olive oil. A variety of spices and additives are improvisations that give caprese a unique and special taste. The snack owes its name to the island of Capri, the same one on which Maxim Gorky rested and was treated. However, the status of a resort on the island of Capri dates back to the times of the Roman Empire.

Caprese, thanks to its special combination of red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil, is very similar to the Italian flag. However, many masterpieces of Italian cuisine reproduce the color combinations inherent in the Italian flag. with mozzarella, and Capri salad.

Making caprese is very simple. There are no complicated techniques, long heat treatments or exotic ingredients in the recipe.

The classic recipe recommends only mozzarella made from buffalo milk. However, usually, even in Italy itself, they use more affordable mozzarella made from cow's milk. The size of the mozzarella balls does not play a special role. This will affect the way the cheese is cut more than the taste of the caprese. It is extremely important that the mozzarella is the freshest.

Tomatoes for salad are a subject of debate. I read somewhere that the best variety of tomatoes for caprese is considered to be “ox heart”. Our tomatoes are pink, but I wanted the tomatoes to be red. Most Italian recipes recommend "large vine-ripened tomatoes". Apparently these are tomatoes. Growing in clusters, similar to cherry tomatoes, but larger. By and large, our oblong-shaped tomatoes, similar to plums, are quite suitable. But, I accidentally came across small tomatoes, which we call “chumachok”. They satisfied me in all respects: red, elastic, without a white center and very tasty.

Green basil is the freshest, ideal if only from the garden. Preferably with small leaves. Olive oil is the best you can find. The taste of the salad depends on this. The oil must be first cold pressed.

Caprese. The recipe you've been looking for!

Ingredients (2 servings)

• Mozzarella 150 gr
• Medium sized red tomatoes 5-6 pcs
• Green basil 2-3 sprigs
• Olive oil 4-5 tbsp. l.
• Salt, black pepper taste
• Capers, balsamic vinegar, oregano optional

1. Despite the simplicity of preparation, there are still certain subtleties in preparing caprese. The very first and most important thing is that the products must be extremely fresh. It is important! Ideally, you need mozzarella that was prepared the day before. I understand that this is almost impossible for us. Almost. But there are local producers who produce quite passable mozzarella. It is better to pick tomatoes from the bush immediately before cooking, when they still smell like a garden. And under no circumstances should they be refrigerated. Basil, naturally, is picked from the garden. This is ideal.

   Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil - the main ingredients of caprese

2. Actually, the entire caprese recipe consists of slicing tomatoes and mozzarella, then placing them on a plate.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes into slices 6-7 mm (1/4 inch) thick. The top and bottom of the tomato will not be used as an appetizer; you only need fleshy circles of the same diameter. There is no need to peel tomatoes from seeds and skins. Simply chop the tomatoes.

   Cut the tomatoes with a sharp knife into circles 6-7 mm thick

4. Remove mozzarella from brine. Cut into slices as thick as tomatoes. The shape of the slices is arbitrary, but the size is the same as tomatoes are cut. If you can buy mozzarella in the form of small balls, you can simply cut them in half.

   Cut the mozzarella into slices as thick as tomatoes.

5. Next, you need a large plate, preferably white - this way the caprese will look better. Carefully place the tomato slices in a circle, alternating them with slices of mozzarella. Lay it tightly or loosely - at your discretion.

   Carefully place the tomato slices in a circle, alternating them with mozzarella slices

6. Season the caprese just a little with fine salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Recipes often recommend sprinkling with a pinch of oregano. Exclusively upon request. By the way, it turns out delicious, just rub the dry grass a little with your fingers so that there are no large pieces. Yes, don't overdo it with spices.
7. It turns out very tasty if you add 1 tsp. capers. Just sprinkle them on the salad.

   Spread the basil. It turns out very tasty if you add 1 tsp. capers

8. Place small green basil leaves on top of the tomatoes and mozzarella. The number of leaves is to taste. You can, if you have time and desire, arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella with separate basil leaves. But this is not important.
9. The final touch is to pour olive oil over the salad just before serving, but not before. Important: under no circumstances should the caprese sit in the butter. It is better to serve the oil on the table in a separate bowl and pour it over the appetizer immediately before eating. By the way, it is often recommended to mix olive oil with a small amount of balsamic vinegar - sauce

A delicious, simple Italian appetizer - Caprese salad. The simplicity of its preparation contrasts amazingly with its amazing taste. In my opinion, one of the very successful combinations of products that are rarely so easy to find. Light, low-calorie and delicious salad. Or more correctly, a snack. After all, it all depends on the method of presentation.

Caprese is a classic antipasto. Sounds a little unusual to us, but it's essentially the Italian version of a charcuterie platter. This is a cold appetizer served before the main hot course. Typically, chopped vegetables, cheeses, deli meats and other delicacies are laid out on a plate or wooden tray.

Here is a very visual version of antipasto. But in the case of Caprese, the plate will contain tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, green basil leaves and sauces. Very tasty and beautiful, and the colors are so similar to the Italian flag. Simplicity is the biggest advantage of Caprese. You don’t need to cook it for a long time or stand at the stove; all you have to do is cut it beautifully and arrange it.

There are many decoration options, even slices can be laid like a mosaic, or in a circle or in rows. It will not be superfluous to show your imagination and there are no strict rules. The main thing is that the pieces of all the ingredients lie together, because they should be eaten together in order to feel the real Italian flavor of this dish.

Caprese salad can help you out at any time when you need to quickly set the table, but the main dish is not yet ready. You can use it as a separate salad on the holiday table on any occasion.

You can chop the ingredients into smaller pieces and mix in a plate. You can string them onto skewers and get stunningly beautiful holiday canapés. Can be folded into individual portions in the form of pyramids.

You can also add delicious ingredients and improve and change this amazing dish. But let's take things in order.

Not at all complicated and very tasty classic version. Caprese salad, in principle, is a dish made from a minimum of ingredients, but it wins solely due to their quality and taste. You need to take the most delicious tomatoes and the ones you love. The best ones are those that have a lot of fleshy pulp and some seeds and juice, then the salad will not float on the plate. Mozzarella is also best chosen by taste. After all, there are so many manufacturers, so many variations. Cheese that is sold in bags or jars filled with liquid is better. It will be more tender and juicier. Freshness plays a very important role.

A bright and important ingredient in Caprese is fresh basil. You know that there are different varieties of it: purple, green, brown. They all taste different. But for Caprese salad, prefer young green ones. It has a more delicate taste, slightly reminiscent of mint and anise. While purple, for example, is more spicy and pungent, it is more suitable as a seasoning for meat dishes. Tender greens, especially the young top leaves, are just perfect for a delicate Caprese salad.

In the classic version of the snack, the leaves are used as a whole, although in other variations they can be torn and cut.

It is important to use delicious extra virgin olive oil. It complements and highlights the taste of tomatoes and mozzarella.

You will need:

• fresh round fleshy tomatoes - 3 pcs;
• large balls of mozzarella cheese - 3 pcs;
• fresh green basil leaves - 10 pcs;
• extra virgin olive oil (unrefined) - 2 tablespoons;
• freshly ground black pepper or a mixture of peppers;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a flat serving plate for the appetizer. Wash the tomatoes. Remove the cheese from the brine. Tear the washed basil leaves from the stems.

2. Place the tomato on the board sideways and cut across the “slices” into slices 1 cm thick. This is the optimal size for a snack, and the taste of the tomato will be felt and will not overwhelm other tastes.

3. Take a ball of mozzarella and a sharp, smooth knife. You can take a ceramic one, the cheese will stick to it less. Cut the cheese balls into slices 1 cm thick so that they are the same as the tomatoes.

4. Now that all the ingredients are ready, let's start laying out the Caprese salad. Place a slice of tomato on a large round plate, place a piece of mozzarella on top and slightly on the side. Then a basil leaf on top.

5. We continue to lay out in the same way in a circle, without changing the order of products. Tomato, followed by mozzarella, basil on top and again in the same way. Lightly cover the basil leaf with the edge of the next tomato leaf.

6. When you complete the circle, place a piece of tomato in the center, a circle of cheese on it and a basil leaf on top. This way the composition will be complete.

7. Now add a little salt to the appetizer and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper straight from the mill. And pour a thin stream of olive oil. Draw a couple of circles in oil along each row of the appetizer and that will be quite enough. But salt, pepper and oil can be adjusted to suit your taste.

The classic Caprese salad is ready and can be served at the holiday table. Both guests and household members will be happy. A very tasty and healthy snack made from completely natural and fresh ingredients. What could be better?

Another popular ingredient in Caprese salad is balsamic dressing. Although some people like a more sour version with balsamic vinegar. The sauce differs from vinegar in that in addition to vinegar, sugar and spices, as well as other aromatic ingredients, are added to it. For example, the sauce can be with the addition of honey, mustard, or berries.

You can make your own balsamic sauce at home or buy it ready-made at the store. There are also varieties called balsamic cream. Before you buy sauce in the store, read the ingredients and then you can imagine what its taste will be like. After all, vinegar is made from grape must, and everything else is flavoring additives.

The sauce is perfect for Caprese salad. You can pour it over the salad along with olive oil, or you can use it together. Both will taste great. Or you can mix vinegar (or sauce) and oil in a small cup, and then pour the resulting sauce over the salad.

In addition to taste, the sauce helps give the salad a very elegant and sophisticated look. Since the sauce is dark and thick, when pouring over the salad you can create beautiful patterns and the appetizer will look like in a restaurant. Feel free to show your imagination and artistic flair.

To prepare the salad you will need exactly the same quantity and set of ingredients as in the classic recipe that I described first.

But add balsamic sauce to it. You will need about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on your taste.

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes, washed clean and wiped with a napkin, into thin circles. Make the thickness approximately 0.5-1 cm. It is best to cut the tomatoes crosswise so that the liquid part with the seeds does not fall out and leave only rings of the tomatoes.

Cut the mozzarella into similar circles with a long knife. It is best to take cheese that is packaged with brine. To make the dish beautiful when served, the pieces of tomato and mozzarella should be the same.

Place rows on a plate, alternating a circle of tomato, a circle of cheese and a basil leaf. Looks a lot like the Italian flag, doesn't it?

Season with salt, pepper and sauce on top. Add oil as desired. It’s very tasty if you first pour oil in a thin stream, and then use the same thin stream to draw zigzag patterns on the laid out salad.

The most important thing is that there is sauce and butter on every piece. Then the Carpese salad will be revealed to everyone in its best form, or rather taste.

Pesto sauce is also an excellent addition to Caprese salad. This is a sauce based on olive oil and herbs with garlic and nuts. A very, very tasty sauce that you can prepare yourself. Some time ago I already talked about the variety of recipes for this sauce.

You can check them out: Pesto sauce. Homemade recipes. Classic sauce and delicious variations

Prepare this sauce and use it as a salad dressing. You can choose the type of sauce that you like based on the ingredients, but I recommend first trying it with the classic Italian version of basil with pine nuts.

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes and cheese into thin rings. Place them in rows or in a circle, alternating with each other. Add fresh basil leaves if desired. After all, the basil will already be in the sauce.

Lightly salt and pepper. Top with thick and flavorful pesto sauce.

You can lay out small pyramids instead of regular rows. Place a tomato circle, a slice of cheese on it, and a teaspoon of sauce on top. One such pyramid will be a portion that is convenient to take from the plate. This appetizer is perfect for home parties.

But here is a version of Caprese salad for those who like all the ingredients to be small and everything mixed. This way the flavors combine better and you can eat them from a bowl. You can take this salad in a box to a picnic or to work. Or you can cook it in a beautiful salad bowl and serve it on the holiday table. The result is a classic salad, like a Greek salad would look like, for example.

I could also call it Caprese for the lazy, because everything is simply mixed in a bowl and topped with sauce. But the labor costs are about the same, not counting the figured display on a dish or in piles.

You will need:

• small mozzarella balls - 150 g;
• cherry tomatoes - 200 gr;
• olive oil - 2-3 tablespoons;
• balsamic sauce (optional) - 2-3 tablespoons;
• Salt and ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Prepare all ingredients. Free the tomatoes from the stems, wash and wipe to remove excess water. Drain the cheese balls. Wash and dry the basil. Tear off the leaves; the stems are not used in salads.

2. Cut the tomatoes into halves, so their flavor will be revealed more and the juice will mix with the cheese and sauce. It will taste better. Tomatoes can be chosen according to your taste: round cherry, plum, red, yellow and even black. You can use the mixture and the salad will turn out even more beautiful.

3. Cut each small mozzarella ball in half too. The cheese and tomatoes will be the same size, this will make the salad prettier and easier to eat.

4. Fresh green basil leaves can be placed whole if they are small or torn into several pieces if the leaf is large. You can also use purple basil if you prefer if you like its spicier flavor. And if you take both varieties, the salad will sparkle with a real riot of colors.

5. Mix tomatoes, cheese and basil. Now add salt and pepper with freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with extra-flavored extra virgin olive oil. And then with balsamic sauce if desired.

The salad is ready and can be served immediately after adding the sauce. Bon appetit!

You can make different sauces for this salad. Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar in equal proportions - the sauce is ready. Use basil and nut pesto for dressing. Just fill with oil.

Caprese with cherry tomatoes and melon - video recipe

Want a unique take on Italian Caprese salad? Add balls of fresh tender melon to it and it will sparkle in a completely new way. The salad will turn out to be a little more tender and sweetish, but the melon fits into it very interestingly. For lovers of sweet flavors and combinations, this is a very interesting option. Try it.

Try this salad with roasted tomatoes. You will be surprised how interesting the taste will be. The dressing for this salad is also a little different and I’ll tell you a little secret.

You will need:

• cherry tomatoes - 200 gr;
• mini mozzarella cheese - 150-200 g;
• garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• fresh basil - a few sprigs;
• pesto sauce - 2 tablespoons.

Preparation:

1. Place the washed cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of foil. Pour olive or vegetable oil, literally a tablespoon, and stir a little so that each tomato is coated with oil. Place the peeled garlic cloves in there. Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes are baked.

2. Prepare the salad sauce. You will need two tablespoons of Pesto and the liquid from the mozzarella cheese, the brine that was in the bag or jar along with the cheese. Add liquid to Pesto sauce and stir. This way the salad will have a richer and brighter cheese taste.

3. Place fresh basil leaves in a suitable salad bowl. No stems needed. Top with roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese balls. Salt and pepper the Caprese salad. Pour the resulting sauce over everything.

The original Caprese salad with baked tomatoes is ready. Set the table and invite guests to dinner, the appetizer will definitely try them.

Original sweet Caprese with peaches - video recipe

Due to the fact that the components of Caprese salad have their own sweetish or neutral taste, adding another sweet ingredient to them will not be a problem. An example of this is a variation of salad with peaches. This salad can be both an appetizer and a dessert. But when served with tangy pesto and salt, the result is a very vibrant combination of sweet, sour and salty.